Doctors Volunteer To Vaccinate Cuyahoga County Group Homes

Cuyahoga County group homes for people with developmental disabilities or for people recovering from substance abuse issues have been hot spots throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

They are part of group 1A, the priority group that’s currently being vaccinated in Ohio. Others in this priority group include medical staff, first responders, and nursing home staff and residents.

According to local health officials, there are still a large number of private and public group homes for people with developmental disabilities in the county that they have not reached.

A group of doctors recently volunteered their time to help speed up efforts to vaccinate this high-risk population, said Dr. Heidi Gullett, medical director for the Cuyahoga County Board of Health.

“It’s really hard to find staff right now, so to have an army of volunteer physicians was awesome,” Dr. Gullett said.

Group homes are at higher risk for outbreaks because people live in close quarters, and employees often leave the buildings and can be exposed to the coronavirus in their daily lives.

“It’s very high risk for those residents, for staff to come in with the infection,” she said.

The vaccination rates for the group home residents have been high, but staff— much like employees at nursing homes—have been opting out. Gullett estimates some group homes had vaccination rates of 50 percent or less for staff.

Their reasons for refusing the shot often involve concerns over side effects and the speed of the vaccine’s development, she said. 

Many change their minds and eventually get the vaccine, however, after having an opportunity to talk with the physicians and get more information.

“My belief is that no one should feel coerced or forced into a vaccine. I want them to feel that their questions have been answered and that they have all the information they need to make the right decision for them,” Gullett said.

The physicians and residents who volunteered had some time off over the holidays, and spent it vaccinating those living and working in the homes, she said.

Vaccinating those in group homes often requires consent forms from guardians, which makes the process slightly more complex, Gullett said.

“A piece of this was reaching out to their guardians and ensuring that they understood the consent process and they were comfortable with it, and then they provided consent,” Gullett said.

“So it’s a little more complicated than just showing up with vaccine on a particular day.”

The group homes range in size, from three people to nearly 100 residents. For some of the larger organizations, it took multiple days to reach everyone who wanted the vaccine, she said.

The employees and small business owners who run the group homes are doing their best to care for people in this difficult time, she said.